Climate change: processes, characteristics and threats

Climate change: processes, characteristics and threats

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Most people have heard about climate change, they might even express a real concern about it, but how many would actually consider it a threat? Because the changes can be slow and sometimes difficult to identify within the normal variation of climatic conditions, many of us think they will not affect our lives. However, some parts of the world are already being severely affected by climatic change – both the people and the environment. And unfortunately, it appears that many developing countries bear the brunt of global warming, when the problem is mostly due to the actions of developed countries.

Temperature trends and projectionsThe global average surface temperature has increased over the 20th century by about 0.6 degrees Celsius. This increase in temperature is likely to have been the largest for any century in the last 1000 years. Evidence fr...

By Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Variations of the Earth's surface temperature for the past 100 millions yearsThe global average surface temperature has increased over the 20th century by about 0.6 degrees Celsius. This increase in temperature is likely to have been the largest for any century in the last 1000 years.

By GRID-Arendal

Back to the future: The science of building scenariosDiagram showing four scenarios for the future each with different influences between market orientation and environmental, and regional and global. Then predictive charts show the scenarios in terms of emissions, concent...

By GRID-Arendal

Past and future CO2 concentrationsSince pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases has grown significantly. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has increased by about 31%, methane concentration by about 150%, and nitrous oxide...

By Philippe Rekacewicz, Emmanuelle Bournay, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Cooling factorsThe amount of aerosols in the air has direct effect on the amount of solar radiation hitting the Earth's surface. Aerosols may have significant local or regional impact on temperature. Water vapour is a greenhouse gas, b...

By Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere over the past 400 000 yearsOver the last 400,000 years the Earth's climate has been unstable, with very significant temperature changes, going from a warm climate to an ice age in as rapidly as a few decades. These rapid changes suggest that clima...

By Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Main greenhouse gasesA table of the main greenhouse gases and their attributes, sources and concentration levels from 1998.
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenh...

By GRID-Arendal

Kyoto protocol, 2002 target statusAfter more than 10 years of negotiations, the Kyoto Protocol finally becomes legally binding for the countries that have ratified it. The overall goal in the Protocol is a 5,2 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions belo...